Tab cap valve actuator for an aerosol dispenser and protective head therefor



y 1965 R. H. ABPLANALP ETAL 3,185,350

TAB CAP VALVE ACTUATOR FOR AN AEROSOL DISPENSER AND PROTECTIVE HEAD THEREFOR Filed March 8, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORLS ROBERT HENRY ABPLANALP J'OSEPH CHARLES R ZUERO ATTORNEY y 1965 R. H. ABPLANALP ETAL 3,185,350

TAB CAP VALVE ACTUATOR FOR AN AEROSOL DISPENSER AND PROTECTIVE HEAD THEREFOR Filed March 8, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 av l5 28 ll 5 32 F E 34 .L

III

22 l: INVENTORS 7 ROBERT HENRY ABPLAMALP .L JOSEPH CHARLES PIZZURR QMJ.

ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,185,350 TAB CAP VALVE ACTUATGR FOR AN AEROSOL DISPENSER AND PROTECTIVE HEAD THEREFOR Robert Henry Abplanalp, Bronxville, and Joseph Charles Pizzurro, Scarsdale, N .Y., assignors to Precision Valve (Importation, Yonkers, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Mar. 8, 1962, Ser. No. 173,380 3 Claims. (Cl. 222-182) This invention relates to aerosol dispensers and is directed, more particularly, to a novel form of valve actuator and a cooperating protective hood therefor.

The object of the invention is to so constitute the tab cap and hood that they may be adjusted into dilierent relative positions:

(a) To lock the valve actuator against inadvertent operation, particularly during shipment and shelf life of the dispenser,

(b) To permit said actuator to be retained in position wherein the valve of the dispenser will be held open for continuous discharge of the aerosol material, and

(c) To permit the valve actuator to partake of a position wherein it may be intermittently operated by the user for such relatively short periods as such user may desire.

Features of the invention, other than those adverted to, will be apparent from the hereinafter detailed description and appended claims, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

The accompanying drawings illustrate diiferent practical embodiments of the invention, but the constructions therein shown are to be understood as illustrative, only, and not as defining the limits of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a diametric section through an assembly embodying the present invention showing the same as affixed to an aerosol container, said section being taken on the line 11 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the assembly shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the tab cap of the assembly removed therefrom.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the protective hood of this invention.

FIG. 5 is a section similar to FIG. 1, but showing a modified form of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a like section showing still another form of the invention.

FIG. 7 is an elevation of the hood shown in FIG. 6 as viewed from the left hand side of the latter figure.

FIG. 8 is a View similar to FIG. 7, but showing a modified form of hood which may be employed for a side delivery dispenser of the character shown in FIG. 6.

Referring first to FIGS. 1-4 inclusive of the drawings, 1 designates an aerosol container of any conventional form having a top wall 2 with a central filling opening, the margin of which is curled as shown at 3. This filling opening contains a mounting cup 4, the periphery of which is curled over the curl 3 of the container wall as shown at 5. The cup is provided with the usual pedestal 6 in which is supported a dispensing valve having a valve casing 7 in which the valve is contained. The valve is provided with an upwardly projecting tubular valve stem 8 and the casing has a downwardly projecting nipple 9 for supporting a dip tube 16 which extends to the bottom of the container 1. Said valve is normally spring pressed "ice into sealing position, but may be unsealed or opened to dispense the contents of the container 1, by downward movement of the valve stem.

The parts thus far described are illustrative of a conventional aerosol dispenser, such, for example, as that shown in the Robert H. Abplanalp Patent No. 2,631,814, which is incorporated herein by reference.

The tab cap C of this invention is shown in FIG. 3. It comprises an annular lateral wall, in the general form of a ring 11 provided at its lower edge with an external head 12 adapted to permanently engage with an internal shoulder 13 of the cup 4 when an external abutment 14 of said ring is resting upon the upper surface of the curled margin 5 of the cup, as clearly shown in FIG. 1.

At the upper edge of the ring is a manually operable tab 15 integrally hinged to one side of the ring as shown at 16 in FIGS. 1 and 2 and extending diametrically across said ring. The tab 15 is provided at its under side with a socket 17 having a fairly tight fit with the upper end of the valve stem 8, so that the valve stem is made movable with the tab 15. The upper portion of the ring 11 is cut away at 18 below the overlying tab 15, so as to permit suflicient downward hinging movement of the tab, by pressure on the upper surface thereof, to open the dispensing valve of the container, so that aerosol material within the container may flow through the hollow valve stem into the socket 17 and through a discharge perforation 19 through the top of the tab. A relatively low wall 20 is arranged in upstanding relation on the tab about the perforation, so that, when the user places his finger on the tab 15 to depress the same, the finger of the user will not inadvertently cover the perforation 19 of said tab.

When the tab is thus operated to dispense material from the container, the spray pattern, indicated at 21 in FIG. 1, will be coaxial with the valve stem and container.

In practice, the tab cap is protected against damage and inadvertent operation by a hood D. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, this hood has an outer wall 23 adapted to seat against the top of the container body, as at 24, and is of such height as to project above the tab cap. The top of said wall 23 merges into a downwardly sloping wall 25 of which is substantially frusto conical and extends to the region of, but is spaced from, the side wall of the tab cap 11, as shown best in FIGS. 1 and 2.

In order to permit access of the users finger to the tab 15, the side wall 23, as well as the frusto conical wall 25, are recessed as shown at 26. With this arrangement, the user may pass his finger through the recess 26 and press downwardly upon the free end portion of the tab 15 when it is desired to dispense material from the container. During the operations of the tab, it is guided solely by the hinge portion 16 thereof and by its mounting on the valve stem. At no time is any part of the hood depended upon to guide the tab during dispensing operations.

In order to maintain the hood in place on the container, it is preferably provided with a wall 27, spaced inwardly from its wall 23 and the lower edge of said wall 27 is provided with an internal head 28 which may be snapped into engagement with the shoulder formed by the curl 5 of the mounting cup 4. The wall 27 may be a truly cylindrical wall extending uninterruptedly about the interior of the hood from one side of the recess 26 to the J other, but, if desired, there may be utilized in lieu of this wall a plurality of relatively narrow vertical strips spaced apart about the curl 5.

In assembling the parts shown in FIGS. 14, the tab cap C is first permanently applied to the container by forcing it downwardly over the valve stem to seat the valve stem 8 in the socket 17 and simultaneously engage the bead 12 at the lower edge of the side wall 11, beneath the shoulder 13 of the mounting cup. This having been accomplished, the hood D is next applied by passing it downwardly over the tab cap C until the internal bead 28 of the inner wall 27 snaps beneath the curl of said mounting cup, at which timethe lower edge of the outer wall 23 will rest upon the top wall of the container.

During this assembly operation, the tab of the actuator C enters the recess 26 of the cap and thus comes into a position wherein said tab is ready to be actuated to dispense material from the containers. In practice, both the tab cap and its protective hood are preferably made of plastic material by injection molding, the beads 12 and 28 being formed in the cavities of the respective dies in which these parts are formed.

The several parts of the complete combination, assembled as described are so arranged that the hood may be rotated relative to the tab cap or vice versa. This fact permits of different relative positions of rotation of these parts with respect to one another. When the relation is such that the tab 15 registers with the recess 26, the tab may be depressed at will to dispense material from the container. However, it will be noted, especially from FIGS. 2 and 4, that the frusto conical wall 25 of the hood is provided on its upper surface with a raised camming member 29. With this arrangement the tab 15 may be either manually or autogenously raised and relative rotation between the parts effected to cause the under side of the tab 15 to engage with and ride upon the camming member 29 until it engages with a stop 30. When this condition prevails the tab 15 cannot be depressed either inadvertently or otherwise and consequently the valve of the container cannot be operated to dispense any of its contents.

When it is later desired to dispense, intermittent rotation of the parts in a retrograde direction, will re-position the tab in registration with the recess 26 to permit dispensing, a stop 31 serving to preclude overtravel in such retrograde direction.

There are times when a prolonged dispensing operation is desired. In such cases, the tab 15 may be depressed and rotated so that it underlies the under surface of the frusto conical portion 25, as indicated in dotted lines at 15 in FIG. 5, whereby the tab is locked in dispensing position and the dispensing operation will continue so long as the parts remain in this relative position of rotation and so long as there remains dispensable material in the container. However, if it is desired to discontinue such dispensing, it is only necessary to rotate either the tab cap or its hood in a retrograde direction to return the tab to registration with the recess 26, whereupon such continuous dispensing will cease for the tab 15 will autogenously return to the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

In the structure shown in FIG. 5, the parts are identical with and function in exactly the same manner as in FIGS. 1-4, except that the outer wall 23 of the hood D is omitted. This can be done because the addition of such outer wall has no functional purpose. It is incorporated in the structures of FIGS. 1-4 merely as a matter of artistic design where it is desired to have the hood of substantially the same overall diameter as the body of the container.

In FIGS. 1-5, a construction is shown which will produce a spray pattern 21 coaxially of the container.

In FIG. 6, a construction is. shown with a side delivery spray pattern. In this showing, the tab cap is the same as hereinbefore described, except that, instead of providing a discharge perforation through the top of the tab,

as in FIG. 1, the top of the tab is formed with a boss 32 in one side of which is formed a discharge perforation 33, the hood being provided in its side opposite the recess 26 with openings 34, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, through which the spray pattern 21a may pass. In lieu of the openings, 34, the corresponding side of the hood may be provided with a recess 35, as shown in FIG. 8, to accommodate the spray pattern. The construction of FIG. 6 is provided with the aforesaid camming member 29 and the parts are relatively rotatable to provide for selective intermittent dispensing, and a locking of the tab against the operation, as well as the positioning of the tab below the under surface of the frusto conical wall to permit of continuous discharge.

The combination of parts, functioning in the manner hereinbefore described, permits a relatively wide range of operation according to the will of the user. The hood, projecting as it does, above the tab cap, permits stacking of containers thus equipped without danger of inadvertent discharge of the contents of superimposed containers and the formation of the hood with a recess 26 permits of the use of a relatively long tab which is not only readily accessible but afiords suflicient leverage to render the operations of the valve responsive to very little pressure on such tab.

The foregoing detailed description sets forth the invention in its preferred practical forms, but the invention is to be understood as fully commensurate with the appended claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Means for dispensing aerosol material from a container having a mounting cup the marginal portion of which has interior and exterior shoulders, and a discharge valve with a tubular valve stem, comprising:

(a) a tab cap having an upstanding cap wall provided at its lower end with an external head to engage the internal shoulder of the mounting cup, and

(b) a valve actuating tab having a discharge perforation and an integral hinged connection with the upper end of said upstanding cap wall and extending diametrically across said top wall with a socket on its under side to receive the tubular valve stem,

in combination with:

(c) a protective hood with a side wall peripherally of and spaced from the tab cap with an internal head to engage the exterior shoulder of the mounting cup, said ,side wall having an inverted frusto conical top wall overlying the. space between said side wall and the tab cap,

(d) said hood also having a recess at one side to permit ready access to said tab, and

(e) said tab cap and hood being relatively rotatable and the hood being provided with a camming surface to engage through such relative rotation with the under side of the tab to preclude valve operating depression of the latter.

2. Means for dispensing aerosol material according to claim 1, wherein such relative rotation while the valve actuating tab is depressed will engage the upper surface of the tab beneath said frusto conical portion of the hood to hold said tab in depressed condition for continuous dispenslng of material from the container. 3. In an aerosol dispenser embodying a container having a mounting cup the marginal portionof which has both internal and external shoulders and, on the cup, a valve with an axially operable valve stem, the improvement which comprises:

(a) a tab cap having an upright side wall provided. at its lower portion with an external bead engaging with the internal shoulder of the mounting cup to rigidly support said side wall on the cup, said cap also having a valve operating tab integrally hinged to the side wall and extending across the latter and having a socket in which the valve stem is seated and a disside wall into juxtaposition with the free end of said tab to provide convenient access to the tab.

References Cited by the Examiner 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,577,245 12/51 Tuttle et a1. 222182 X 2,772,819 12/ 5 6 Poarch et a1. 222394 3,006,510 10/61 Sagarin 222-394 X 3,101,876 8/63 Ayres 222394 10 LOUIS I. DEMBO, Primary Examiner.

RAPHAEL M. LUPO, Examiner. 

1. MEANS FOR DISPENSING AEROSOL MATERIAL FROM A CONTAINER HAVING A MOUNTING CUP THE MARGINAL PORTION OF WHICH HAS INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR SHOULDERS, AND A DISCHARGE VALVE WITH A TUBULAR VALVE STEM, COMPRISING: (A) A TAB CAP HAVING AN UPSTANDING CAP WALL PROVIDED AT ITS LOWER END WITH AN EXTERNAL HEAD TO ENGAGE THE INTERNAL SHOULDER OF THE MOUNTING CUP, AND (B) A VALVE ACTUATING TAB HAVING A DISCHARGE PERFORATION AND AN INTEGRAL HINGED CONNECTION WITH THE UPPER END OF SAID UPSTANDING CAP WALL AND EXTENDING DIAMERTICALLY ACROSS SAID TOP WALL WITH A SOCKET ON ITS UNDER SIDE TO RECEIVE THE TUBULAR VALVE STEM, IN COMBINATION WITH: (C) A PROTECTIVE HOOD WITH A SIDE WALL PERIPHERALLY OF AND SPACED FROM THE TAB CAP WITH AN INTERNAL BEAD TO ENGAGE THE EXTERIOR SHOUDLER OF THE MOUNTING CUP, SAID SIDE THE WALL HAVING AN INVERTED FRUSTO CONICAL TOP WALL OVERLYING THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID SIDE WALL AND THE TAB CAP, (D) SAID HOOD ALSO HAVING A RECESS AT ONE SIDE TO PERMIT READY ACCESS TO SAID TAB, AND (E) SAID TAB CAP AND HOOD BEING RELATIVELY ROTATABLE AND THE HOOD BEING PROVIDED WITH A CAMMING SURFACE TO ENGAGE THROUGH SUCH RELATIVE ROTATION WITH THE UNDER SIDE OF THE TAB TO PRECLUDE VALVE OPERATING DEPRESSION OF THE LATTER. 